1. PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT IN THE
GCC
MGT302 – Dr. Marie Waxin
Done by:
Muhammad Danish Azad
44334
Ramzan Speen Jan
45531
Abdussubhan Haji
50271

2. 1
Table of Contents
Introduction and importance of PM in GCC - Danish.................................................................... 2
Methodology - Danish .................................................................................................................... 2
PMRS Goals - Danish..................................................................................................................... 3
UAE ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Sultanate of Oman....................................................................................................................... 5
PA Criteria and Methods - Ramzan................................................................................................ 6
United Arab Emirates: ................................................................................................................ 6
Sultanate of Oman....................................................................................................................... 8
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ........................................................................................................... 9
Feedback & use of PA info - Abdussubhan.................................................................................... 9
United Arab Emirates................................................................................................................ 10
Sultanate of Oman..................................................................................................................... 10
Conclusion – Danish..................................................................................................................... 11
References.................................................................................................................................... 13

3. 2
Introduction and importance of PM in GCC - Danish
Performance management is the “continuous process of identifying, measuring and
developing individual performance according to strategic goals” but is something that is lacking
in the GCC region (Behery and Paton, 2008). This continuous strategic process comprises of
having performance goals that are strategic, developmental or administrative. These goals are
then meant to be kept in perspective as relevant criteria is chosen based on either results,
competencies or behaviors. These criteria are then tested with appropriate performance appraisal
methods as per the strategic needs of the organization. The information gained from these
evaluations/appraisals also need to be used appropriately and timely feedback needs to be
provided for it to be useful. All in all, these elements make a performance management system
that can be eventually beneficial for organizations.
The GCC is a rising global hub of commerce that is attracting numerous organizations
from all over the world while others are sprouting up from within the country. Arabian Gulf
region is one of the fastest growing areas in the world with nominal growth of about 20 percent
per year (de Boer and Turner, 2007, as cited in Moideenkutty, Al-Lamki & Murthy, 2010).An
intricate part of a developed business world is the recognition of the need for strategic HR and
PM. The UAE for example, has quadrupled in population in the last 25 years. This population
consist of 80% expatriates from 125 different countries. This makes the UAE (and on a wider
scale, the GCC) an extremely multicultural environment experiencing rapid commercial growth.
There is a need to study PM in the GCC because “this demographic shift is going to pose some
unique challenges, particularly in relation to PA, for UAE organizations, as will the need to
manage within a multi-cultural environment” (Behery and Paton, 2008).
This paper keep in perspective this idea of a performance management system
framework and studies literature in the GCC region. The purpose of this effort is to recognize the
adherence in the GCC to such a system, where and how it’s applied, and the challenges faced in
the region. In general, it will discuss where the GCC stands in reference to the performance
management framework discussed above. It will go through; PM goals, criteria and evaluation
methods, use of feedback and performance appraisal information and give conclusions of the
GCC PM scene.
Methodology - Danish
As in any other literature review, the focus of this paper is to review other literature
published regarding the subject; thus, the methodology includes only secondary research. To
begin with Managing Human resources in the Middle East by (Budhward & Mellahi, 2006)
provided a good basis to launch further research. The book provides a chapter by chapter review
of HR practices in the various GCC countries. Although, there was no specific information
regarding performance management in this book it provided a good valuable overview of the HR
scene in the GCC with the help of which we could make insights about the information found in
other literary sources.

4. 3
Additionally, journal articles were searched over the various academic databases through
the AUS Library Summon system. To start off there were keywords included such as ‘PMS
GCC’ and ‘Performance management in MENA’. At a failure, to collect ample valuable
information the search was then modified to include broader terms such as ‘HR practices’, ‘HR
research’, ‘performance study’, ‘performance appraisal’ and ‘assessment feedback’ alongside
geographic tags of different GCC countries. A major challenge faced during the research was to
separate benchmarking and KPI based performance related studies, to find literature specific to
PM in the HR context. On a general note, it is imperative note that there is a serious lack of
performance management literature in the region. Due to this, while discussions have been made
in the general GCC context, specific research is primarily limited to articles from the UAE and
Oman. Despite this, as mentioned in Moideenkutty, Al-Lamki & Murthy (2010); because the
Arabian Gulf countries are all share a similar culture, this makes the implications of HR practices
are quite similar throughout the region. Lastly, adding to literature review of databases,
governmental websites, online federal databases and E-PMS in the GCC have been discussed.
These were found due to either being discussed in a journal article or through a specified internet
search. Their inclusion was significant because they provide a relevant insight into PM in the
GCC.
It is a given understanding as recapped above that performance appraisal (PA) is only one
element of overall performance management (PM). Yet, it is imperative to note again that due to
the undeveloped nature of strategic HR in the GCC the differentiation between these two is not
made very clear. Due to this these terms are often wrongfully seen to be used interchangeably
and thus while citing these sources we might use them interchangeably to stay true to the source
material. Perhaps the authors have avoided using the term performance management because
proper performance management systems barely exist in the region. Thus it would make sense to
assume that they simply kept the present performance appraisals as the focus of research. It is
also important to keep in mind some abbreviations; balanced scorecard (BSC), performance
management (PM), performance management system(s) (PMS), and performance appraisal (PA).
PMRS Goals - Danish
An implication of PM research being limited to mostly PA related articles is that there is no
literature that we found specifically pertaining to performance management goals. With that
being said, the conclusions arrived to in the following section have been made on inferences we
made ourselves through relatable articles and categorized accordingly. As mentioned in the
introduction, the focus of this literary review will shine most on UAE and Oman because these
are the two countries from where published articles in the fields of management and HR were
primarily found.
An overview of the general GCC literature available on performance management goals
goes to show that most of the region’s HR is concentrated on administrative PM goals. While our
framework divides performance management goals into the categories of strategic,

5. 4
developmental or administrative we notice a clear prioritization of this in the GCC context. Most
GCC countries prioritize PM goals as administrative, strategic and developmental respectively.
The purpose why most GCC countries are conducting performance appraisal is primarily due to
administrative. Strategic goals are noted to be addressed as important in some places but not seen
in practice. Lastly, as for developmental goals there are some examples that can be classified as
developmental based PM/PA goals. Although, due to the lack of an integrated PMS/and extreme
lack of feedback to PA (discussed later), the PM scene in the GCC is quite unsuitable for
developmental purposes.
UAE
When we say the PM/PA being prioritized for administrative goals, it opens a vast
number of reasons that could be applicable to being an administrative goal. A study by Behery
and Paton (2008) to study the relationship between performance appraisal, culture and
organizational outcomes in the UAE. The findings of the study noted that performance appraisal
in the UAE context, can be used to boost employee commitment, satisfaction and retention when
employees feel like it PA is closely linked the informal organizational culture. If we consider
commitment, satisfaction, and retention as elements of administration we can conclude that the
goal of PA in this case is administrative. On the other hand, if organizational culture is a
reflection of company’s strategic values/goals then performance appraisal goals could also
reflect strategic PM goals if we try to tie PA goals with OC, as per this article.
After the first article, Behery has another publication regarding PM in GCC with Jabeen
and Parakandi in 2013. This article discusses the traditional PMS versus a contemporary
balanced scorecard system (BSC) and transition from the traditional to the new system. This
article specifically discusses the importance of strategic PMRS goals in the UAE context. It
states that the traditional PMS systems that are prevalent in the small to medium sized firms in
the UAE are accounting based, thus have the administrative goals of cutting cost structure,
handling operational budgets and increasing financial productivity (e.g. through activity based
management etc.). It states that these methods does not align strategic objectives with PMRS
goals which is imperative for an efficient PM system. The findings of the article go ahead to
discuss small to medium sized firms that have employed BSC/new PM systems understanding
the importance of strategic alignment. Although, it adds that these initiatives have been taken by
individual work units but not from the company as a whole. Thus, there is a growing awareness
for PM goals being strategically aligned, but this approach has to be applied centrally for
companies to finally achieve higher levels of performance measurement to enhance organization
performance (Behery, Jabeen & Parakandi, 2013).
Lastly, in the UAE context Al-Raisi, Amin & Tahir (2009) have published an article that
discusses the application, effectiveness and attitudes pertaining to E-PMS systems in the UAE
government sector. They cite a 2004 UN report stating that the UAE has been ranked as one of
the top performers in the willingness to become an e-performer in MENA. Moreover, this article
brings to light; administrative, strategic and to a small degree even developmental PMRS

6. 5
goals. The findings are quite relevant in terms of the strategic and administrative PMRS goals
achieved through E-PMS. According to the findings of the study, E-PMS greatly helps aligning
company objectives because it provides a decentralized system that can deliver to employees
exactly what is expected of them and enhance accountability for their actions. This sort of
efficiency in communication and information sharing enhances productivity policy making in the
government sector which also contributes to fulfilling strategic goals. Apart from strategic goals,
the enhanced accountability of employees and the bypassing of bureaucracy through an openly
communicated E-PMS system enables achievement of adminstrative goals such as; improving
service delivery, reducing corruption and retaining good talent.
If we consider retaining of good talent in term of developmental goals, this source also
states that employees reported high satisfaction with E-PMS system due to the fact that readily
provided feedback and aptly delivered what was expected of them (Al-Raisi, Amin & Tahir,
2009). This goes in line what is stated in Behery and Paton with regards to the organizational
culture in the UAE. Behery and Paton (2008) talk about Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of
‘power distance’ and ‘uncertainty avoidance’ which run high in the UAE culture. This makes the
employees of this culture to welcome the hierarchical structure and instructional authority. In
essence, it means that employees of the UAE culture ‘like being told what to do’, thus
developmental usage of PM would be welcome in the region. Despite this, we have not found
literature stating PM systems used with the goal of employee development or training except
from one small mention. Al-Raisi, Amin & Tahir (2009) make a small mention that the UAE
government uses E-PMS to enforce development and training of UAE national to reduce
dependency on expatriate population.
Sultanate of Oman
The PM literature in Oman is quite smaller in comparison to the UAE and is limited to
two main articles that we found. While one has a larger focus on HRM practices in general, the
other while focusing on PM talks specifically about PV Petroleum in Oman. We will discuss the
two articles found respectively. First to begin with Moideenkutty, Al-Lamki and Murthy (2010)
conducted research regarding the relationship between high involvement HR practices and
organizational performances. Although, the focus was HR practices in general, the authors
clearly state that one of these HR practices include highly selective training and performance
management practices. This in turn helps elaborate on the developmental based goals of PM
goals. The authors state that the current culture of the Arabian Gulf and Oman is reluctant
towards internal skill development and prefers acquiring them externally. They go on to state
that the findings of the study are encouragement for companies in Oman and the GCC at large to
pursue training/developmental goals through high involving HR practices (including
performance management practices). Moreover, this article backs up Behery and Paton (2008) on
the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of ‘power distance’ and ‘uncertainty avoidance’. The article
states that these dimensions are shared by Oman and hierarchical structure is embraced by the

7. 6
employees; thus, as mentioned above use of PA for development would be welcomed by
employees.
. The second article by Khan (2010) recognizes performance management systems as a
congruent system instead of strategically unaligned PA. Although, the article is a case study
based on Oman’s PV Petroleum company it uses PV’s PM systems to exemplify the applications
and related challenges of a good PM system. The article elaborates strongly on strategic,
adminstrative and developmental goals of PM. It stresses the need for horizontal (across the
organizational departments) and vertical alignment (with corporate strategy) of all PM efforts.
This sort of alignment would include all three types of PMRS goals. Khan gives an example of
PV; as it boasts corporate values of
“providing reliable quality services at a competitive price, health, safety and
environmental excellence in all services, to be at the leading edge of technology,
continuous performance improvement, to sustain growth and corporate success, respect
values and expectations of all stakeholders, to provide opportunities for the growth and
self-development of all employees” (p.4).
All PM efforts are aligned to these values providing goals for the company to work and rework
their performance management efforts towards. When employees undergo appraisal they are
tested on the values mentioned above, management of the company follows a similar strategy
and even the development of the employees is aligned. This sort of horizontal and vertical
alignment is one exemplary instance of appropriate PMRS goals in the GCC.
PA Criteria and Methods - Ramzan
United Arab Emirates:
Faculty of Abu Dhabi University conducted a research study to explore the transition
from traditional performance management system (PMS) to a modern one and note the issues
related to the transition in a single enterprise classified as fast-growth small to medium enterprise
(FGSME). The research was limited to the boundaries of the United Arab Emirates and
concentrated on a single FGSME and the enterprise employees more than 16000 workers across
the nation. The research highlighted the importance of moving from financial based performance
measurement solely into more modern PMS through a design of a potential balanced scorecard
(BSC) and strategy mapping. The conventional management accounting system used
quantifiable financial data as an index to measure performance while the contemporary
accounting system used a mix of financial and non-monetary performance indicators measure
individual performance at various levels of the organization. The study found that the Balance
scorecard (BSC) program was prevailing in the company but not effectively implemented and
linked. BSCs are vital tools employed to measure and control the organizational performance
that consist of four perspectives namely financial, learning and growth, customer and internal
business process. Furthermore, BSC could be also used to develop and evaluate organization’s

8. 7
strategy and not merely performance evaluation as mentioned by the authors. The study
concluded that initiative to adoption of the new modern performance system if combined
collectively and aligned with the HR practices and overall objective and strategy of the firm can
result into better performance measurement and organizational performance. The study also
indicated that the modern system is very useful in addressing issues productivity and expansion
issues (Behery, Jabeen, & Parakandi, 2014).
Also, faculty from UAE University conducted a study to see the relationship between
self-rated performance and supervisor rated performance in the United Arab Emirates (Suliman,
2003). To do so, the researcher generated a sample of 1062 questionnaires self-administered
from 29 random organizations that were suitable for analysis among which 829 were employees
and 233 were managers. The study mentioned to have used 1-5 point likert scale in its
questionnaires and did not disclose what criteria was based on the performance evaluation
whether results or other. The results indicated a clear disparity between the perception of
employees about their performance and that of their manager’s perception. The findings in this
research indicate that employees in the UAE tend to evaluate themselves more favorably than
their immediate supervisor. Also, the study shows that the false perception that supervisor in the
UAE have a habit of underestimating their subordinates performance (Suliman, 2003).
In another study, academics from University of Dubai did a study the impact on
employee fit by performance appraisal and organizational culture and the link between them.
The criteria for the study to explore the influence of the fit in terms of outcomes of an
organization were turnover, job satisfaction and commitment. They study surveyed 200 middle
managers randomly from the chamber of commerce listing among them were 60 percent bankers,
25 percent from insurance and remaining from real estate. The study mentioned to have used
five point likert scales in the surveys issued. The survey sought to take their opinions on the
extent to which they emphasize with appraisal. The results of the study revealed that job
satisfaction may be optimistically linked to extend to which an employee consider assessment
and culture aligned and also commitment is influenced by perception of self-organizational fit by
employees (Behery & Paton, 2008).
In the UAE, the government initiated a strategy to be implemented during 2008-2010 that
consist of integrated system of performance management to receive the progress and results of
the various entities across the nation. This PM system was called ADAA. The OM system
turned to be very useful, consequently the Prime minister’s office developed ADAA which was
formerly just performance measurement system into ADAA 2.0 which shifted into performance
management system in the year 2012. This developed PM system turned to be very effective in
managing performance of the UAE public sector employees and bodies. In addition, ADAA 2.0
is the first integrated system in Arabic and is the updated version of the first Arabian PM
software. Its main purpose is to give complete support to sustain development in order to raise
efficiency and effectiveness by using the new and best practices of performance management
systems (PM magazine, 2014, p31). The official website stated that the PM system is based on

9. 8
goal achievement and a mix behavioral and competency measures to evaluate the performance of
the intended individual. However, the website does not mention what method of performance
appraisal is used to measure the criteria mentioned above (moca.gov.ae).
Sultanate of Oman
One of the largest oilfield services companies in Oman was studied to discover and
analyze the tools that are used in terms of performance management. The oilfield service
company was established in 1980’s by the name PV Petroleum which was not the actual name of
the company but pseudo one as mentioned in the article to maintain confidentiality of the
information supplied by the company. The company has a workforce of around 2000 employees
of which 80 percent consist of Omani national locals and intend to raise the Omanization bar up
to 90 percent. The aim of the company is to provide a “One-Stop-Shop” experience in terms of
oilfield services and also deliver cost effective field expansion and management (Khan, 2010).
PV petroleum initiated its performance appraisal at the introduction stage of its life cycle
when the company was new to the business of petroleum services. It used performance appraisal
tools to identify the strengths and weakness of every employee. Also, PV petroleum purpose to
use performance appraisal was to recognize the gaps prevailing in the skills and competencies of
each individual. The criteria used or the appraisal form conducted at PV is a trait based
evaluation with a combination of behavioral and result based assessment. In addition, PV
petroleum employees were evaluated individually on basis of 1-5 rating scale on the results or
overall performance in contrast to his/her work prerequisite. The performance evaluation is only
one type, i.e. paper based system in PV petroleum for all of its 2000 employees and contained
factors of appraisal such as interpersonal skills, trustworthiness, efficiency, quality, well-being
awareness, creativeness, policy obedience, improvement desires and so forth. It also contained
comment columns to permit two way feedback and employees can put their observations for
their development. However, this whole process was a mechanical one and every employee
perceived the evaluation as figurative analysis. Hence, the study concludes that PV’s
performance management system is neither aligned with the HR practices nor integrated with the
strategy of the business. And PV is not competent enough to reap the benefits of a good
performance appraisal system that help a firm attain feedback and alignment in order to reach its
desired goal (Khan, 2010)
In another study independent study, researchers from Sultan Qaboos University desired to
examine the relationship between high involvement human resources management practices and
organizational performance in Sultanate of Oman (Moideenkutty, Al-Lamki, & Murthy, 2010).
Furthermore, unlike previous research studies, this study surveyed 87 privately held
organizations selected from companies listed in the Muscat Securities Market and responses
were subjected statistical and regression analysis. The method used to measure high involvement
HRM practices was a compound measure that consisted of four components namely highly

10. 9
selective staffing, extensive training, performance management and empowerment. In terms of
measuring performance management, a total of eight items were incorporated into the survey on
1-5 likert scale. However, the study does not cite the type of performance measurement criteria
used to test the responses. The results of the statistical analysis showed that high involvement
HRM practices were positively correlated to organizational performance (Moideenkutty, Al-
Lamki, & Murthy ,2010).
In 2009, Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) in its effort to remain
committed to Oman’s strategic Water Plan, PAEW has achieved a number of mile stones.
Among them as mentioned in their official website are implementation of performance
management system, integrated computer software which records all manuals and procedures,
human resource development as well as appraisal and introducing quality management system
(PM Magazine, 2014, p34). The authority uses a mix of methodologies such as behavioral along
with goal achievement evaluation criteria but does not specifically indicate which methods are
used to evaluate the intended individuals (paew.gov.om).
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
In KSA, the federal authority of government has Employee Performance Management
System (EPMS) that was integrated to trace the link between incentives given, training etc
against performance at work for all of its federal ministries and authorities. The criteria for
EPMS was structured on the basis of the outcome achieved through output of employee in a
specific year and the tools or procedures used to make employees complete work. That is, the
system uses objective scores or goal achievement and competency rating as basis for employee
evaluation. The performance system uses mix methodologies of BARs and rating scales for
evaluation of employees as noted from the article (PM magazine, 2014, p. 27).
Feedback & use of PA info - Abdussubhan
According to all employees and firms, feedback on specific performances is a necessity
around the world these days. This is due to the fact that training and personnel development has
developed to a large extend and the employees have more power, control over the firm than
before. Feedback is when the supervisor, employer gives a report to each employee or a group of
employees on how they have performed on particular tasks and how to improve and on what
areas they should concentrate to strengthen their weakness. Different firms have different types
of evaluation methods and types of feedback; but at the same time there are companies/ regions
that gives less priority to feedbacks and performance management feedbacks. For example in the
Middle East, according to a business website, bayt.com, 50% of the people claimed that they
never got a feedback from their employer. During our research, we found out that 46% of the
company respondents stated that performance appraisal system did not improve the performance
management of employees and the company (Hartley, 2009). Performance appraisal is a
systematic process that evaluates an employee’s performance taking some criteria and company

11. 10
objectives into consideration. According to Zureikat, 29% of employees do not receive any
performance appraisal, especially in today’s economic climate (Hartley, 2009).
United Arab Emirates
Studies now show that PA information is useless without feedback – “timely and valued
feedback is critical to success” (Behery and Paton, 2008). As we all know that feedback has
positive motivation within the organization and these level of motivation sometimes work as a
key factor within the employees and it might end up in increase in productivity. This is because
feedback and employer-employee interaction will enhance employee commitment towards the
organization. As mentioned earlier, this will only help the organization and the employees would
feel as a part of the firm and that they are responsible for the growth of the firm. In the case of
UAE culture, well to be honest not only the emirates but also the Middle East, the culture here is
very different from the westernized world and here they prioritize more on hierarchy and power.
But in the US and Europe, even the employees have the same power as the higher level
management. For example if a normal employee has a suggestion or complaint, he is able to go
straight to the head of department and convey the issue and its normal there; however in the Arab
countries like UAE, OMAN they use power and monarchy based system here. So in that case the
UAE culture would prefer feedback due to their interest in hierarchy and due to this economic
situation, at this globalized period the competition level in s very high and therefore without
these immediate changes, they won’t be able to survive. In this case of performance
management, it should be implemented across the whole organization and not only the
performance appraisal.
Sultanate of Oman
As mentioned before, performance management feedback to appraisals are very rare in GCC
countries. According to Khan (2010), Oman is more of an administrative approach which is back
desk office work on daily basis and nothing more and the decision are more centralized here so
therefore it was hard for the lower level employees to give any input of their own and out of that,
why is there a need of PA? (Khan, 2010). This is why the managers in the firms lack information
about the performance of their employees. According to Oman performance adopted is proven to
be very subjective and biased. This is when; paper works are manipulated due to certain
individuals. This is where my other point will come in place. The term “wasta’, this word a very
famous word used across Arab countries which relates to influence in firms to get jobs done
faster, or to get something that is not possible. Due to wasta, the equality will be lost in the
region and the firms working in that area. Another point researched in Oman was that the
employers prefer a collective approach and dislike face-to-face interrogations. They feel group
decision making is better than one individual taking it by himself and it’s the sake of common
good approach.

12. 11
It was found out that PV petroleum, one of the largest petroleum company in Oman, uses
just the performance appraisal as a method of performance evaluation exercise and it is just done
once a year and according to the respondents, they started that they tend to forget the report after
a while due to the fact that it is done once a year and then they don’t keep track of it. Oman
companies does not have a strategic objective and they concentrate mainly on administrative
objective rather than developmental and strategic. These mentioned objectives are performance
management system goals. Firms and what type of goal used differ the company from one
another use it. For example, most of the Middle Eastern companies use administrative goals and
not developmental and strategic. According to them performance management appraisal creates a
lot of paper work and it is a bi waste of time; this is why developmental goals cannot be implied
within this region. As I mentioned PV petroleum, even though they use PA once a year, at least
they are doing something on top of rewards and training.
Conclusion – Danish
First and foremost it is imperative to point out again that literature regarding PM
management is extremely limited. All inferences drawn in this paper are based on sources found
majorly in UAE and Oman, which are relied upon due to the culture similarity in the GCC.
While strategic HR is a growing phenomenon in the region, strategic PM is yet to be part of it to
be seen vastly in its developed form.
In essence performance management consists of PMRS goals, criteria and evaluation
methods, and effective use of feedback and PA info. Our literature review of the GCC showed
that when it comes to the PMRS goals there is an awareness of the need for strategic goals
leading the PM efforts in administration and developmental goals. Although, despite this
awareness only one company in Oman (PV Petroleum) was noted to have achieved a fully well-
rounded PM system. Other literature regarding goals is still highly administrative, ineffectively
strategically aligned (if at all) and not suitable for developmental purposes.
The criteria and evaluation methods are a reflective function of the PMRS goals. Where
clear goals are set way see appropriate movement to new PMS systems for example;
convergence from traditional PMS systems in the UAE to BSC methods to encompass strategic
PM objectives. Furthermore, surprisingly almost all articles found on PM in the region hold/state
the importance of timely and constructive feedback. Despite this, feedback and PA info is used
very inappropriately as shown in the Bayt.com research. Good examples of feedback included
PV Petroleum in Oman who use it appropriately to develop employees. Additionally, E-PMS
systems in the UAE government sector proved extremely beneficial and were welcomed by the
employees. High acceptance of constructive feedback is also a trait found commonly across the
GCC due to the shared cultured dimensions of high ‘power distance’ and ‘uncertainty avoidance’
which induces an inclination for hierarchical structure and specific orders/feedback.
Another worthy point of elaboration is vertical and horizontal alignment of PM systems.
The overview of the research shows that while PM alignment is generally lacking it is more
prevalent vertically (or at least there is awareness for vertical strategic alignment) rather than

13. 12
horizontally. As mentioned, in the UAE applied PM systems in small to medium sized
enterprises were adapted strategically by some units but not across the organization as a whole.
Other examples including E-PMS in federal organizations showed quite good vertical alignment
to strategy by having leaner e-communication but evidence of good horizontal alignment of HR
practices with PM was not seen in the UAE. The only example with vertical alignment of PM
with other HR activities and strategic alignment with corporate strategies was seen in Oman in
the case study of PV Petroleum.
All in all, it goes without saying that there is a vast void where research needs to be done
regarding the subject. A lot of the articles picked up for this literary review had their own
limitations. While some were focused on a single company others surveyed only the affluent
population of the country. A more elaborate study of application of PM and its related challenges
is called for in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

14. 13
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